Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Do’s and Don’ts
Ah, resource planning. It’s something that many companies have spent countless hours attempting to improve, yet more often than not, they only end up taking two steps backward. Even with the best of intentions, resource planning mistakes can be extremely detrimental to the growth and success of any business, regardless of size or industry. The good news is that it’s possible to learn from the past mistakes of other organizations, many of which have paved the way for understanding what not to do when it comes to resource planning.
DO Your Research with ERP Software
ERP software has completely changed the landscape of resource planning, and almost entirely for the better. But at the same time, not every instance of ERP software is right for everyone. It’s extremely important to do as much research as possible to ensure that you don’t choose a software package that isn’t right for your business, which means looking into as many different possibilities as you can find. What’s the best way to choose the right software? Schedule an ERP demo. This way, you’ll be able to tell if you’re moving in the right direction via a hands-on approach, which is worth its weight in gold.
DON’T Assume Everyone Will Know How to Use It Properly
Once you get done researching ERP software and decide on which package is right for your organization, you’ll most likely become well-versed in how to best utilize it. The only negative side effect that can result from this is that you might assume the very same expertise from your staff. The fact is, even your most tech-experienced staff members are going to require at least somewhat of a training period to get the most out of the software and to understand its finer points. Expect an adjustment period, and don’t rush your staff to take on more than they can handle.
DO Assign a Project Manager to ERP Implementation
Harkening back to the last point, it’s essential to ensure that the ship has a captain when implementing a new instance of ERP software. This could be you, or it could be a lower-level employee who takes on the task of ERP implementation as a main focus. Regardless, it’s vital to have an expert on staff who can work with each of your employees one-on-one to ensure they don’t experience any problems getting used to the system. Even if for just a short period of time, assigning a project manager to ERP implementation can be highly beneficial in terms of keeping things on track.
DON’T Overlook Budget or Important Deadlines
At the end of the day, a software solution is only going to be beneficial if its implementation doesn’t overshoot your budget or cause you to miss an important deadline. ERP implementation can be time-consuming and not without its roadblocks. That being said, ensuring you give yourself plenty of headroom in terms of both your budget and your calendar will alleviate any concerns you may have about taking things too far—the key is to identify these elements before getting started.
DO Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
How do you know you’re staying on task with an ERP implementation? By setting key performance indicators, commonly referred to as “KPIs.” KPIs essentially act as a roadmap for how your implementation should ideally go, giving you benchmarks to work from that will allow for identifying any issues or roadblocks that might pop up. If you have baselines, regular check-ins, and targets identified, you’ll be ten steps ahead of the game once the process of implementation is underway.
Don’t let resource planning anxiety get in the way of your success—plan ahead, it’ll be a smooth transition.
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